Kiri Warzone
by erickmenk
Summary: Team Seven’s first C-rank mission turned A-Rank. But something else went wrong, forcing the survivors of said team to head straight into a war zone.
1. Chapter 1

Date Started: April 19, 2010

Summary: Team Seven's first C-rank mission turned A-Rank. But something else went wrong, forcing the survivors of said team to head straight into a war zone.

* * *

CHAPTER 1

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, is getting a bit worried. It had been almost two months since he sent Team 7 in their first C-rank mission to Wave. Until now, they still haven't reported back.

He understands such things like late reports happen all the time but he just couldn't help feeling that something went wrong. If it wouldn't be seen as favoritism, he would have sent at least another team as back up. But unless Kakashi requests for it, his hands are tied.

Looking at the clock by the wall, he saw that it was almost noon. Feeling a bit nostalgic, he decided to head for Ichiraku for lunch. He was just about to stand up from his office chair when he suddenly felt the tell-tale chakra signature of an approaching teleportation jutsu.

Seconds later, three kneeling ANBU appeared in front of him in a puff of smoke. Cat, Eagle, and Boar.

"Report." The Sandaime said simply.

Boar stepped forward and said, "Sir, there's a large group of people heading towards the main gate. Said group are mostly consisted of children and teens with about half a dozen adults."

The Sandaime noticed him hesitate so he encourage him by saying, "Yes, and what else?"

"Sir, they are being led by the genins of Team 7."

Sarutobi's eyes widened at that.

Minutes later, the Sandaime, as well as most of the contingent of the Konoha Shinobi forces are standing at the main gate waiting. Soon enough, the old leader could see several shapes approaching.

The first one he noticed is the one with the most distinguishing property, Haruno Sakura, said person having the only pink hair in the crowd. But the thing is her hair seems to be the only thing that remained the same about her. Even from far, he could see the scars all over her face, neck, and body, at least the ones that could be seen. She's also wearing her Konoha headband like her sensei before her, covering her left eye. Why she had done so he doesn't know yet.

The second one he noticed is Uchiha Sasuke. Other than the sling cradling his bandaged right arm, he doesn't seem to have changed much, physically at least. The other noteworthy thing about him is the two young girls walking on both sides of the dark haired genin. One with brown hair while the other have the same raven hair black as Sasuke himself.

The last one he noticed is the one he longed to see the most, Uzumaki Naruto. He's walking at the very front of the group with a young teenage girl in a dark blue kimono, and have a huge zanpakuto strapped on her back a step behind him. Physically, there seems to be no change in him, that is until the Sandaime manage to look closer. It was almost unnoticeable from afar but the old man managed to see the glaring difference in appearance of the Naruto that left to wave almost two months ago to the young man that returned today.

Instead of pure blonde, there seems to be streaks of red on the tips of Naruto's hair. His whisker marks seems more pronounced now. His ears seem to be a bit longer than normal. And his eyes, which used to be cerulean blue, seem so much darker that it's almost purple in hue.

Putting those changes to the back of his mind to be solved later, he turned to look at the group of people following them. Making a headcount, he counted about one and a half dozen kids ranging from age four to ten. Six adults with Mizu headbands planking them like guard sentries.

When they were close enough, about a hundred meters, the kids behind Team Seven went tensed, but a simple smile from Naruto eased them a bit.

Sarutobi signal his forces to stand down and do nothing as he waits for them to arrive. Soon enough, the small group came upon only a few feet from the gates and the Sandaime.

"Hiya, Sandaime-jiji! We're back!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically with a wave before Sakura bopped him in the back of the head. Naruto whined at her silently but the girl merely gave him a glare making him pout before giving a silent nod.

Team Seven moved forward and dropped into their knees in front of the Sandaime and Sakura said, "Hokage-sama, Team Seven reporting for duty."

"Welcome back, Team Seven. Arise." The Sandaime said formally. The three genin did so and he asked, "Where is your Jounin sensei?"

All three cringed before Sakura said in a subdued voice, "Kakashi-sensei is KIA during our Wave mission. H-he died trying to save my life from Gatou's mercenaries."

Sarutobi could see the pain all three of them are feeling with the mention of their deceased sensei. They seem to have taken Kakashi's death hard, if the somber looks on their eyes are any indication.

Sarutobi turned his eyes on the rest of the group. "And them?" He asked Team Seven.

"Refuges of the Kiri Bloodline Purge and shinobi guards from Kiri courtesy of Terumi Mei." Naruto said.

"And who, may I ask, is Terumi Mei?"

"The newly instated Mizukage." The blond said.

Sandaime could already feel the headache coming. What the heck does the Mizukage of Kirigakure got anything to do with a simple C-rank escort mission.

"Hokage-sama." Sauke suddenly said.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"Permission to call for a full council meeting during the debriefing."

"On what grounds?"

"Proper induction of kinsmen to the Uchiha clan." Sasuke said formally.

"Presentation of alliances between Konoha and Kiri." Sakura added in the same voice.

"And induction of citizenship of bloodline carriers into Konoha." Naruto said right after her.

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow at that, considering Konoha's Pro-Bloodline policies. "Which of them are the bloodline carriers?"

At this, Naruto smirked and answered, "All of them."

Sarutobi resisted to massage the bridge of his nose. "Very well. Report to the Council Chambers in an hour for debriefing. Have the children and their guards report to the hospital for check ups." He then turned to the rest of the Konoha Shinobi and ordered, "ANBU Squad three, please escort them to the hospital. Squad Four, inform the council that I need all of them in the meeting chambers in an hour. Dismissed."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

As soon as the Sandaime and most of the other Leaf shinobi left, Naruto turned to the kids and said, "Okay, everyone, we're going to the hospital for a check up, which is considered as the SOP for new Konoha citizens, so don't anyone worry, okay." He then turned to the feminine looking person beside him. "Haku, make sure they're treated properly."

"Hai, Naruto-sama."

Sakura then turned to the Kiri shinobi guards and said, "Men, stay with the children and sheath your weapons. You are in ally territory now."

"Hai, Sakura-taichou." The six Kiri shinobi said respectfully.

"Sasuke-nii-chan, is this place our new home now?" the brown haired girl beside Sasuke asked timidly.

Sasuke was about to answer when the other girl said, "Don't bring your hopes up too much, Yuzu. They still got to decide if we're going to be staying or not."

"But, Karin-chan, this is Sasuke-nii-chan's home. And he already adopted us into his family. Shouldn't we treat this place as home too?" Yuzu whined cutely.

Before Karin could argue, Sasuke spoke saying calmly, "You're right Yuzu. You are family now. No one, not even this place, would make me leave you two behind."

Seemingly satisfied, Karin scoffed and started walking after the rest of the refugees while Yuzu smiled and grabbed his Sasuke-nii-chan's left hand, walking with him towards the hospital.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I decided to borrow Yuzu and Karin from Bleach. This is not a cross over though. In the span of this fic, I would be using characters from other animes rather than create an OC, just so you could picture them better.

Also, Haku remains a boy in the story. Team Seven's physical changes would be explained further as the story progresses.


	2. Chapter 2

Date Started: April 19, 2010

Summary: Team Seven's first C-rank mission turned A-Rank. But something else went wrong, forcing the survivors of said team to head straight into a war zone.

* * *

CHAPTER 2

"So how are we to proceed, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked as he, Team Seven, Yuzu, and Karin wait just outside of the council chambers waiting to be summoned inside.

Naruto, sitting on the floor with his back against the couch where Sasuke, Yuzu, and Karin are sitting on, shrugged and said, "We go forth, like always. I mean, we've been doing that since the beginning so I don't see any reason to change now."

"That may be the case but we're not facing a battle now." Sakura, who's leaning against the wall by the other side of the couch, said silently in a bored tone reminiscent of their late teacher. Then she turned to the three people sitting on said couch. She smiled a bit seeing Sasuke resting silently as both Yuzu and Karin taking a nap with their heads on his lap.

"How about you, Teme? Do you think you could reign in your revenge-obsession for a bit? Danzo, Koharu, and Homura are sure to be there."

For a moment, it seems Sasuke didn't hear Naruto's question, until a small amount of killing intent burst out of him. When Karin and Yuzu started to stir because of it, the killing intent disappeared and Sasuke said, "Aniki trusted me with the revival of the Uchiha Clan. I will do what is needed."

Sakura sigh knowing that's the best they could get out of the raven haired Uchiha. Taking out a familiar book from her weapon pouch, she flipped it open and is about to start reading when Sasuke gave her a glare and said, "Would you mind not reading that smut with Yuzu and Karin around?"

Sakura gave him a smirk and said, "Why look at you Sasuke-kun, being all fatherly-like. I wonder what would Ino say if she saw you now?"

Sasuke actually shuddered at the thought and glared more at the pink haired girl, who merely grinned back at him.

Naruto laughed at the exchange. It was kind of nice seeing Sakura is over her fangirl tendencies. He just wished it didn't take Kakashi's death for that to happen.

The blond haired boy instantly sobered at the thought of their sensei. Even now he can't help but sometimes blame himself for the pushing to go through with the mission after the defeat of the Demon Brothers.

His reminiscing was suddenly interrupted upon receiving the memories of the Kage Bushin he planted inside the council chambers. He stood up and gave the rest of the gang a nod.

Sakura pushed herself off the wall to stand in front of the doors. Sasuke gently woke Yuzu and Karin up so they could stand in front of the door as well. Naruto created a single Kage Bushin, this one wearing a fatigue version f his jumpsuit, and told it, "Sergeant, once we're inside, release our captured spies outside and have all of you dispel."

"Sir, yes, sir." The bushin saluted before running out the hallway. "You heard the General! Hop to it! We got some trash to clean up. Move, move, move!" Seconds later, seven other hidden kage bushins each holding an unconscious leaf shinobi appeared following the latest created clone outside, where they'll dumped said spies unceremoniously for trying to spy through Team Seven's conversation.

Sakura shook her head at the odd clone and said, "Seeing you create those special clones of yours still creeps me out, Naruto."

"Yeah. Me too. But at least they're useful. Who knew having Multiple Personality Disorder would come in handy? Besides, you're one to point fingers, considering there's Akane." The blond answered with a shrug.

Sakura gave the blond a glare but remained silent.

Sasuke put his two cents in and said, "We still don't know if Naruto actually have MPD, like Sakura, or something else so I suggest we keep quiet about it. Let the morons make up their own theories."

"Just as long as Sakura-sama doesn't bring Akane out anytime soon. That woman gets a bit amorous, particularly with me." Haku added, shivering a bit.

"That's just a nice way of saying her alter ego's a nymphomaniac." Karin added with a snort.

"I don't know. She seems very nice to me." Yuzu said with a shrug.

"That's because you let her cuddle you all the time." Karin accused.

"But I like cuddling." To demonstrate this, she cheerfully took Sasuke's left arm and draped it on her shoulders before giving him a smile.

Sasuke just smiled back. When Yuzu turned back to the doors, he turned a warning glare at Sakura, telling her to 'keep Akane away from Yuzu or else'.

Sakura merely rolled her eyes at them and said, "You guys suck."

As soon as Naruto and Haku stepped beside the others, the door to the council chamber opened and a lone ANBU asked them to enter.

They stepped into the chamber to be greeted by the silent scrutiny of the full council, consisting of the Hokage, the elders, Danzo, the Shinobi council, and the civilian council. All three members of Team 7 placed themselves in the middle of the room with Haku, Yuzu, and Karin standing behind them. They gave the Sandaime a salute before standing in attention.

Giving them a nod in return, he eyed each one of them first before saying, "Team 7, please proceed with the debriefing."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Sakura said stepping forward, voting herself the spokes-woman for the group. "At the 13th of April, Team 7 travelled to Wave, at the boarder of Water Country on a C-rank escort mission for the bridge builder Tazuna. Half way through the journey, we were ambushed by the Demon Brothers of Kiri, nuke-nin of said hidden village. They were easily dispatched and were interrogated. It was then that we learned Tazuna had lied about the opposition of the mission, namely Gato of the Gato Corporation."

"Gato? The same Gato who is said to be one of the richest shipping tycoons in the Elemental Countries?" One of the civilian councilmen asked.

Sakura nodded. "The very same. Gato had been making headways of aggressive take over of Wave country for its geographical position for his trade routes. Tazuna and some of the people of Wave tried opposing him through building a bridge that would cripple Gato's economic hold on them."

Shibi, clan head of the Aburame Clan, decided to speak. "If you managed to learn of the possible strength of the opposition, and your client confessing to deliberately misinforming you of the mission parameters, why then did you decide to go through with the mission?"

This time, Naruto stepped forward. "Tazuna said Wave was so poor all he could afford is a C-rank. He knew he lied but the old man was desperate. I mean, Gato-teme crippled the country so much he was lucky to gather enough funds as it is."

Before he could say more, Sakura cut him off and said, "Gato economically crippled the entire Wave country that even their Daimyo couldn't provide the appropriate funds for a standard B-rank."

"I can see that, Haruno-san. What Shibi-san was specifically trying to ask is why despite all that, you still decided to go through with the said mission?" The Nara Clan head asked.

"Because if we leave, Tazuna would have died and Wave would fall into the hands of a tyrant. As a Leaf Shinobi, it's our job to never let those kinds of things to happen. As future Hokage, I won't let that happen. Not on my watch!"

_**SMACK! THUD! **_

"OUCH! Sakura-chaaan . . ."

"Shut up, Naruto-baka." She hissed, her fist still smoking from hitting her teammate of the head, earning the blond a few giggles from Yuzu and a shaking of head from Haku and Karin. She turned back to the council and spoke formally, "Despite my teammate's brashness, he is right. According to the teachings of the Hokage of both past and present, we are taught to oppose tyranny as we see them. Kakashi-sensei put our decision to continue or not with a majority vote and all of us decided to go through with the mission despite the danger."

Most of the Shinobi, including the Sandaime, were quite proud Team Seven put the teachings of Konoha to heart. But still, there is a fine line between nobility and suicidal tendency. Deciding to judge their actions later, he told them, "Please continue with the report."

Sakura nodded and started speaking once more. "After disposing of the Demon Brothers, we continued with the journey. We arrived at Wave country three days later by boat. That is when we encountered our next opposition, namely Momochi Zabuza."

"The Demon of the Mist?" gasped Chouza in awe.

"Hai. Kakashi-sensei ordered us to protect Tazuna-san as he fought him. ZAbuza used Kirigakure no Jutsu to speak into our defense but Kakashi-sensei managed to thwart him until Zabuza managed to incapacitate our sensei with a Water Prison no Jutsu."

Some of the council members were listening intently, particularly the shinobis. Momochi Zabuza is a formidable opponent and the battle seems to excite them.

Sakura continued and said, "Kakashi-sensei ordered us to flee but knowing we would be no match for a jounin of his caliber without our sensei, we decided to stay and fight. With quick thinking from my teammates, Sasuke used Shadow Windmill Shuriken to release our sensei. Zabuza managed to catch the first shuriken and jump over the other one, not knowing Naruto had henged himself into the other windmill shuriken."

"Excuse me." Came the sudden voice of Yamanaka Inoichi, putting a temporary stop of the tale. "But did you say Naruto-san actually henged himself into an actually working windmill shuriken that Sasuke-san threw towards Momochi Zabuza?"

"Hai, Yamanaka-san. Is there a problem?" Sakura asked.

"Only the impossibility of such claims from a genin." Shikaku said. When Team 7 gave him a confused look, he elaborated. "Henge is merely a genjutsu, a mere illusion. It changes what you look like outside but it doesn't change what you are inside. A solid henge is considered more like shape shifting, a ninjutsu-genjutsu hybrid that is very rare in the continent. It actually changes your entire body to that of which you henge into. The chakra requirement alone is already high enough to make 10 Kage Bushin but maintaining the properties of the shapes one turns into requires chakra control in the caliber of medic nins."

"You mean like this?" Naruto suddenly said excitedly, making everyone suddenly turn to him as he created a single Kage bushin. Naruto made a sign and turned into a kunai. The Kage Bushin immediately grab the said kunai before it fall on the ground and threw it to the door, where in embedded itself a couple of inches through. The clone walks to the door to pull the kunai out, which turned back into Naruto. Naruto then turned himself into a sword. The clone used it to make several swings before shoving it tip first to the floor, where it got buried half way through. Seconds later, the sword disappeared in a puff of smoke to be replaced by Naruto, but the hole remained.

Most of the shinobi are quite awe. To think, such a highly prized jutsu would be in the possession of the Kyuubi jinchuriki.

"Naruto-kun." The Sandaime said in the silence.

"Yeah, Hokage-jiji?"

"How long have you known how to do that?"

"The henge? Well, since the academy. I missed the lecture on it during the time and the teacher refused to teach it to me when I asked later so I just went and trying to do what the others were doing when they're using the henge. It took me 3 months but I did it. I even invented my very first jutsu with it, which by the way is awesome." He said proudly, making the Sandaime choke a bit remembering the said technique.

Most of the council was in awe. Here is Naruto, who, because of sabotage in his schooling, managed to make a kinjutsu even before he managed to graduate into a genin.

Putting the thought of kinjutsu aside for the time being, the Sandaime said to the council, "Be that as it may, we have a debriefing to finish." He then turned to Team 7. "Please continue with the debriefing."

Sakura nodded and said, "Anyway, after Kakashi-sensei was freed, he managed to defeat Zabuza and was just about to deliver the killing blow when a Mist Hunter nin arrived and killed Zabuza and took him away."

The Sandaime saw the boys of Team 7 take a short look at the effeminate looking boy behind them. The said effeminate boy didn't even bat an eyelash, telling the Sandaime the boy have competent shinobi training.

"Kakashi-sensei passed out by the time due to chakra exhaustion. Only, it turns out the Mist Hunter nin is an accomplice of Zabuza who faked Zabuza's death. With no way to catch them, we proceeded to Tazuna's house to recuperate and regroup. He woke up a day later and proceeded to train in for the upcoming confrontation with Zabuza.

"A week later, Zabuza and his accomplice attack the bridge. Kakashi-sensei went to confront him while Sasuke confronts his accomplice, who happens to be a bloodline user while I stayed behind under the orders f my jounin sensei to protect our client. Sasuke was able to stall his opponent long enough for my other teammate to arrive after Naruto managed to stop a kidnapping attempt on Tazuna's daughter and grandson.

"Both of my teammates managed to defeat the bloodline user while Kakashi-sensei managed to incapacitate Zabuza." At this, Sakura stopped. It was clear on her face, in all of Team Seven's faces actually, that the events that followed wasn't something they like to remember.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter jumps back to the time of the Battle on the Bridge on Wave. From there, the story would progress away from Canon. This is where the story diverge and I add my own personal twist into the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Date Started: April 19, 2010

Summary: Team Seven's first C-rank mission turned A-Rank. But something else went wrong, forcing the survivors of said team to head straight into a war zone.

**CHAPTER 3**

Previously:

"_Both of my teammates managed to defeat the bloodline user while Kakashi-sensei managed to incapacitate Zabuza." At this, Sakura stopped. It was clear on her face, in all of Team Seven's faces actually, that the events that followed wasn't something they like to remember._

* * *

_On with the story:_

--Unfinished Bridge at Wave Country 6 weeks ago—

"Like I said before, Zabuza, you're future . . ." Kakashi said to the incapacitated Zabuza as he went through several hand signs. Soon enough, a ball of lightning started dancing in his right hand, accompanied by the sound of a thousand chirping birds. ". . . is Death! CHIDORI!"

With every intention of killing the infamous Demon of the Mist, kakashi charged with his signature jutsu.

Mmochi Zabuza, in the meantime, stared head on in the face of his executioner. He had lived his life under his own rules. He had accepted his mortality long ago, the same day he had ended the bloody tradition of Kiri's genin exams. He had ended so many lives that day, yet he knew the same deed had saved a hundred times more since that day. He did his duty as a shinobi of the Mist until the nonsense that is the Bloodline Purge became too gruesome for him to stay neutral. He revolt against the Mizukage, failed, and left his home with a promise to return to finish the job, taking along a young orphan boy he found wondering the streets.

The boy would turn out to be such a boon for him in the later years, a deadly tool he could use to reach his dreams. And now, here in the face of certain death, all he could think about is the boy. He has every intention of discarding the boy when his usefulness to him ever comes, which, frankly, he never thought would ever happen. He had trained Haku to the best of his abilities and knows Haku would move on and become strong even without him. For the briefest of moments, he felt pride for the boy, as a father would to his child.

In that instant, he smiled a true smile. Although he would die today, Haku would still be there to continue his legacy. He fought his hardest and would die a warrior's death with no regrets.

He looks up at the approaching Kakashi in acceptance and awaited his death calmly, only to gasp in shock as an ice mirror appeared in front of him. He started to panic. Having known Haku for a long time, Zabuza knew the lengths the young boy would do to protect his precious person, which is him.

Desperation reeling, Zabuza tore his right arm, which was holding his sword of, out of the nin-dogs' hold, tearing muscle tissues in the process. He swung his sword just in time to use the flat of the blade as an impromptu shield between Kakashi's Chidori and Haku who appeared in front of him through the ice mirror.

Kakashi saw the mirror and the person that emerge from it. He tried to divert his attack since he'd already been too committed to it to stop but it was too late to even turn. So instead, he tried changing the composition of his jutsu as much as he can. Kakashi's signature jutsu collided with the flat of Zabuza's sword. Having a bit of chakra conducting metal in it, the sword managed to stop the elemental attack causing the ball of lightning explode with a huge blast, propelling Haku and Zabuza, and Kakashi on opposite sides of the bridge.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shuted as he run towards his teacher, only to gasped in shock upon seeing the injuries Kakashi received.

Kakashi groaned. His back had hit the stone railing of the bridge pretty hard. His entire right arm is almost shredded, he have severe lightning burns all over his body, blood is gushing out f wound all over him, and he could feel a few of his ribs broken and punctured through his lungs.

Naruto resisted to vomit and is by his sensei's side immediately, helping him sit up. "Are you okay, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well, geez, I don't know, Naruto. What do you think?"

Naruto actually sighed in relief. If his sensei is well enough to be sarcastic, then he'll be alright later.

"Zabuza-sama!" Came Haku's distressed gasp.

Turning their heads, both sensei and student grimaced at the sight of Zabuza across from them. If Kakashi is in bad shape, then Zabuza is by far worse off. His entire right arm is gone, leaving only a bloody stump just below the armpit. Said hand is still attached to the sword embedded in the ground a few feet away. His shoulder, left arm, and both legs have huge chunks missing, courtesy of the nin-dogs that had been holding him earlier, which all dispelled after the explosion. Lightning burns riddled his entire body and a pool of blood is already forming under him gushing out of his wounds.

Even Haku himself didn't escape the blast unharmed. Despite having Zabuza shield Haku with his sword, similar lightning burns decorated Haku's body. His outer extremities, particularly his shoulders and legs are already painted crimson due to the blood gushing out of his wounds. But despite all that, his concerns are solely for the severely wounded Zabuza who had managed to save him at the last moment. "Oh Kami! Zabuza-sama! Please be alright!"

Zabuza managed to sit up with a lot of help from Haku. He leaned on the surface of the railing with labored breathes. Instead of reassuring Haku, the Demon of the Mist turned to his opponent and said, "Well, Sharingan Kakashi, seems like your only original jutsu isn't as cranked up as the rumors say it is." He gave a wheezing chuckle, coughing blood a few times, earning him another worried look from Haku which he tuned out.

Kakashi gave his own wheezing chuckle. "Yeah. Was planning to work out the bugs on it but never had the time. You know how that is."

"Only too much. My own blade refuses to show her its hidden features. Kurikibi Honcho could be as temperamental as a nagging wife." That produced another chuckle from the two jounins, making Naruto and Haku look at them as if they're crazy.

Despite the circumstances they find themselves in, the two jounins had gained the respect of each other. Kakashi saw Zabuza saved his apprentice's life at the cost of his own. The nuke-nin could have just let the young boy be skewered yet Zabuza didn't let it happen.

Zabuza saw Kakashi's lightning blade change a split second before contact. He knew the elite Konoha Jounin's jutsu could have cut through his sword but instead he made it implode upon itself, causing the explosion rather than killing Haku. For that, he would be eternally grateful.

Both Naruto and Haku looked back and forth between the two jounins in worried confusion. Here they are, mauled in such a degree, and chuckling like old friends rather than bitter enemy.

If only Naruto could feel the same way. He gave a look at Haku who's trying his best to help his precious person. He wanted so much to help Haku himself but then how could he do that knowing the ice user was the one to kill Sasuke? He cringed remembering the look on Sakura's eyes when she saw him standing besides Sasuke's corpse minutes ago just before he went to help Kakashi.

"Dammit, Sakura! That hurts!" Came the most unexpected voice Naruto thought never to hear again.

Turning around, he was bug eyed upon seeing a breathing, living Sasuke being hugged to death by a relieved looking Sakura.

Naruto immediately turned a questioning look at Haku, who turned his head away in embarrassment.

Zabuza saw the look and chuckled a bit. "Still too soft, eh, Haku? I should have known you still couldn't let yourself kill for real."

Haku cringed in self disappointment and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Zabuza-sama."

Zabuza merely chuckled once more and used his left hand to pat Haku on the head and said calmly, "Forget about it. It's your most wonderful trait, that innocence despite the dark lifestyle you've been walking through all your life."

Haku gave his master a confused look but Zabuza didn't elaborate. Naruto merely gave out a relief sigh, knowing that his new friend didn't really betray him.

Kakashi gave another chuckle, earning everyone's attention. "You got one hell of an apprentice there, Zabuza. Hope my own little hellions get half as good someday."

"Hey!" Came the indignant voice of two of the louder members of Team Seven and a grunt from the third, earning them a laugh from the jounins and the old bridge builder, and an embarrass shake of head from the ice user.

Everyone knows the issues aren't resolve yet. Zabuza and Haku still have the contract to kill Tazuna and Kakashi and his genin team still needs to protect him and the bridge he's building. But for that moment, everyone felt it was a small break before everything resumes to reality, but before they any of them could resume their fight, an unwanted voice came through the mist.

"Well, well, well. To think the Demon of the Bloody Mist would fall against one man and a bunch of kids. Even if said man turns out to be Copy Cat Kakashi." Everyone turned to see Gatou step out of the mist. Behind him seems to be a hundred menacing looking men holding assorted weaponries. Mercinaries.

"Gatou!' Zabuza snarled standing up to face the man with the help of Haku. "What the heck are you doing here? This isn't part of the deal."

"Plans change, Zabuza. Your cantract is terminated, and pretty soon, so will you and the effeminate bastard you call an apprentice." The rich tycoon smiled nastily, his left arm still on a sling since Haku had broke it almost a week ago. "Besides, I found someone better suited for my tastes."

Suddenly, another person appeared beside Gatou. Kakashi and Zabuza's eyes widened upon recognizing the man and the hilt he's holding on his left hand. Rokushou Aoi, deserter chunin from Konoha and now a Grass nin holding the legendary treasure of the Nidaime Hokage, the Raijin.

"Would you look at that?" Aoi chuckled nastily. "When I accepted this mission, all I was hoping for is the bounty on Zabuza's head. I never thought I will also be getting Sharingan Kakashi's head as a trophy. Must be my lucky day. Hahaha!"

* * *

_~Konoha Council Chambers. Present time~_

"So Gatou decided to betray Zabuza and hired Rokushou Aoi after we were all exhausted with our battle." Sakura said in front of the council.

"Rokushou Aoi the Leaf traitor who stole the Nidaime's treasure, the Lightning Blade Raijin?" Inuzuka Tsume asked with a snarl, remembering the few of her clansmen killed by the traitor a few years ago.

"Hai, Inuzuka-san." Sakura answered in affirmative.

"Seeing as you are still alive, it means that you were able to beat Aoi or at least force him to flee. Which is it?" Hiashi said calmly.

Instead of answering, Sasuke stepped forward and took out a small scroll from his weapon pouch. He placed it on the desk in front of the Hokage before unrolling it open. After nicking his finger, he smeared blood on it and charge chakra through it. In a puff of smoke, Rokushou Aoi's severed head appeared beside the Raijin, earning an awed silence from the council.

The Hokage silently picked up the Nidaime's revered treasure to inspect it while Sasuke stepped back in the middle of the room beside his team. Several minutes later, the Hokage nodded and placed the Raijin back on the desk before saying, "It's the real thing."

The rest of the council gave a silent cheer. The Nidaime's treasure is finally brought back to Konoha.

"So the Raijin is now returned to Konoha." Koharu said smugly, the rest of the shinobi council nodding in agreement.

"Not exactly." Sasuke suddenly said with a smirk that was mirrored by the rest of Team Seven. He raised his left hand in front of him towards the Raijin, which flew towards Sasuke's open palm, his black eyes morphing into the first stage of the Sharingan. Seconds later, a three foot blade of pure lightning erupted from the hilt. He made several experimental swings before swinging his arm in a wide arc. The blade of lightning suddenly went slack and lengthens at least five more feet. The blade of lightning turned into a whip and its tip sailed into the air until it slash halfway through the wooden desk right in front of Danzo, who didn't even bat an eye despite the lightning whip's proximity to himself. Everyone can see the burns the whip had left behind.

Sasuke deactivated the Raijin and the lightning disappeared immediately. The entire council was in silent awe of the spectacle. He then returned the Raijin on the desk in front of the Hokage.

"An impressive technique, Uchiha-san. Yet it still doesn't explain how it relates to your statement." Koharu said calmly, staring at the young boy.

Meanwhile, the old war-hawk could clearly see the anger rolling out of the Uchiha for a second, telling him clearly that 'they would talk later', before the young man turned back to the Hokage. "The Raijin is useless to anyone else but a true Uchiha."

Disbelieving the boy's claim, Homura grabbed the Raijin and sent his chakra to activate it, which didn't. He tried again with no apparent success. He passed it down to the rest of the shinobi members to try their luck but the sword would not activate.

When the Raijin was returned to the front of the Hokage, the old man said calmly, "I'm sure the explanation is included in your debriefing so please continue."

Sasuke gave a nod and said, "Of course, Sandaime-sama."

* * *

A/N: I've decided to cut it off here because I'll be posting the next chapter immediately after this so you wouldn't feel a cliffhanger.

The next several chapters would focus on the flashback then the scene at the council meeting for some foreshadowing.

Tell me what you guys think, okay. :-P


	4. Chapter 4

Date Started: April 19, 2010

Summary: Team Seven's first C-rank mission turned A-Rank. But something else went wrong, forcing the survivors of said team to head straight into a war zone.

CHAPTER 4

~Previously~

_Suddenly, another person appeared beside Gatou. Kakashi and Zabuza's eyes widened upon recognizing the man and the hilt he's holding on his left hand. Rokushou Aoi, deserter chunin from Konoha and now a Grass nin holding the legendary treasure of the Nidaime Hokage, the Raijin._

"_Would you look at that?" Aoi chuckled nastily. "When I accepted this mission, all I was hoping for is the bounty on Zabuza's head. I never thought I will also be getting Sharingan Kakashi's head as a trophy. Must be my lucky day. Hahaha!"_

* * *

_~Bridge Battle in Wave. 6 weeks ago~_

"Rokushou Aoi, traitor of the Leaf. You overestimate yourself." Kakashi said apathetically as he stood up with some difficulty.

Aoi merely gave a laugh. "Maybe if you aren't as injured as you are at the moment. And considering your previous battle, you wouldn't have enough chakra to match me and the Raijin. And also, your genins are a joke."

"Naruto, stand down." Kakashi ordered sternly seeing Naruto about to charge in anger. The blond genin obeyed with a glare directed at the smirking Aoi. "He may be less dangerous than Zabuza but he is still out of your league as long as he hold that hilt."

"What the heck is that thing anyway, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked angrily.

Before Kakashi could answer, Aoi beat him to it. "Why don't I show you, boy?" He said, emphasizing the insult intended on the word 'boy'. He raised the Raijin in front of him and soon enough, a blade of pure lightning erupted from the hilt. Aoi smirk at the awe from the genins and the flinch from the jounins before suddenly attacking.

Aoi run passed them straight towards the nervous bridge builder with the powered up Rajin. Kakashi tried to intercept but was too injured to stop the traitor, merely getting a deep wound on his right side before getting tossed aside by the electrical current. Sasuke went to block his way with a kunai and would have certainly got dissected with an underhand slash if Sakura didn't push him and Tazuna out of the way.

"AHHHH!" the girl screamed in agony as she flew back with a slashed face and several thousand volts of electricity running through her entire body. Fortunately for her, she loss consciousness even before she hit the ground a few feet back. Aoi would have finished the job with the girl then turn towards the bridge builder if it wasn't for the explosion caused by the exploding tag the girl threw at the ground that he just barely avoided.

"SAKURA/SAKURA-CHAN!" Kakashi and Naruto shouted in alarm as they run towards the convulsing girl's side while Aoi jumped all the way back besides Gatou to nurse the minor wounds he received during the explosion.

When they arrive, Sasuke was already there with a panic look in his eyes. The males of Team Seven knelt beside her to see the nasty forming from the lower part of her ear all the way up to the middle of her forehead. But the worst part is that the Raijin managed to slash through her left eye, destroying the said eye in the process. There was no way to save the eye and the scar that will form will be with her forever after this.

Kakashi took out some medical gauze from his vest pockets and did immediate first aid. Sakura squirmed despite being unconscious when he poured antiseptic on her wound before placing clean bandages over it, particularly on her empty eye socket. He turned to look at the rest of his team. Sasuke was in shock and Naruto was in tears.

Zabuza, seeing things turn out this way, gave a resigned sigh and gave Kakashi a look and said, "Well, Kakashi, seems we're not enemies any longer."

"I guess." Kakashi agreed mildly. "What's your plan?"

At this Zabuza smiled, and it wasn't a very nice smile at all. Kakashi understood and gave his once enemy a nod in acknowledgement. Zabuza knew he's dying soon and he plan to go down fighting like a proper warrior. "Haku."

Haku, who had been trying to form a strategy to get Zabuza and himself away despite hating the fact that he got to leave Naruto and his team behind to be slaughtered, turned to his master and ask, "Y-yes, Zabuza-sama?"

Zabuza saw the indecision on his apprentice's face darting towards the blond boy nearby before turning towards him, gave a sigh. He knew what the young boy had been thinking and felt a bit grateful for the blond kid for making a friend for Haku even for a short time. Finally making his decision, he said calmly, "Haku, make sure to live past today. The brats need to be brought out of Kiri no matter what."

Haku gasped at what his master had been trying to say between the lines. He wanted to protest but a look from Zabuza silenced him.

"You're in charge now, Haku, of them as well as your own life." Zabuza, with agonizing slowness, picked up Kuribiri Honcho using his left hand, blood gashing freely out of the wounds all over his body from his encounter with Kakashi and saving Haku's life.

Haku was crying now. He would like nothing more than to die alongside his master but he knew Zabuza-sama would never forgive him if he ignores his last order. "I-I will obey, Z-Zabuza-sama."

Zabuza grunted in approval.

"B-but . . ." Haku said suddenly, earning him Zabuza's attention. ". . . I will do it my own way."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow-less eyebrow at that, secretly glad that Haku is finally showing his independence. He gave another grant and said, "Do what you want."

Haku gave Zabuza one last look before bowing very low in a sign of respect before running towards Team Seven with a teary, yet determined look in his eyes.

As soon as he arrive, he knelt beside Kakashi, took out her first-aid kit, and said, "Kakashi-san, please allow me to look after her."

Kakashi gave the young boy a look before nodding. He took his hand away from Sakura's injury to be replaced immediately with Haku's soft touch.

While Haku was doing his best to heal Sakura, Kakashi suddenly gave out a few coughs, blood gashing fast out of the major slash he got on his right hip earlier that the rest of the team are only noticing now.

"K-Kakashi-sensei! You're . . ." Naruto started, worried, his eyes breaming with tears. It was evident on the blonde's face that he's seeing the end of his team, his family.

"I know, Naruto." Kakashi said, cutting him off. The wound had hit his liver and several other major internal organs. Even Tsunade wound be hard press to save him with a wound this severe.

Sasuke look on, his eyes widened in panic. Everthing seems to be getting worse. First, he was beaten by Haku, then, Sakura got hurt saving him, and now, Kakashi is dying and he couldn't do anything about it. It's like being back on that fateful night many years ago, when his older brother forced him to watch as he slaughtered the Uchiha clan over and over again.

Seeing the look in their eyes, Kakashi said, "Sasuke, Naruto." When the two boys gave him their attention, he said, "I want both of you to watch. Sasuke, I want you to use your Sharingan to record everything that I am about to do, for it will be one of the last lessons I'm about to impart on you. Hope you'll be able to work out the bugs on it."

"You're going to die, aren't you?" Sasuke said suddenly, his voice flat but there was acceptance in there.

"Yes. Yes I am." He answered honestly.

"B-but Kakashi-sensei, we could still . . ."

"No, Naruto, we can't. I got about an hour tops before my body's natural toxins poison the rest of my internal organs if I lay down right now. But I don't plan on dying in bed. Do you understand Naruto?"

For a moment, all Naruto did was shook his head in denial. A moment later, he stared straight into Kakashi's mismatched eyes and gave a solemn nod.

Kakashi gave a nod in return. "Good. I'm leaving you in charge. Take care of them, Naruto." He then turned to Sasuke and said, "Sasuke, as the last loyal Uchiha, I am asking your permission to transfer my Sharingan to your team mate, Sakura, in the event of my demise."

Sasuke paused for a moment to give a look at the injured girl before giving a determined nod in affirmative.

"Good. Once you get back to Konoha, you will find my last will and testament in a secret compartment in the bathroom in my house. I've been updating it on a weekly basis ever since Team Seven was formed. Hope it helps all of you on your journey." With one last smile, Kakashi turned around to face his enemies.

Naruto and Sasuke were silent as they watch their teacher walk proudly into battle, and his certain death. Neither boys doubt Kakashi would allow himself to die before all of the enemies are slain by either him or Zabuza. Silently, they placed themselves in front of Sakura and Haku, in case any enemy manages to pass through either jounin, which both believe to be unlikely.

Kakashi arrive to stand beside Zabuza. Neither turned to the other since they were both facing Gato, his thugs, and Aoi. Zabuza never swayed his sight away from Gatou while Kakashi did the same to Aoi. Both jounin have their target in sight and the army of mercenaries was merely canon fodder in their eyes.

"Finished with all the mushy stuff?" Zabuza asked suddenly.

"Yeah." Kakashi answered with a chuckle.

"gatou's ugly face is mine."

"Agreed. Just don't get in the way when I kill the stupid moron Aoi."

Gatou gave a laugh and said, "Hah! What could two injured ninja's think they could do against me and my army? The first one to bring me both their heads would get a hefty bonus!"

The mercenaries cheered, their greed blinding them to the danger they're about to face. As one, they mercenaries charged, running around Gatou and Aoi who decided to watch back for the moment.

Neither jounin move an inch as the thugs grew closer. Sasuke activated his newly awaken Sharingan, praying it will hold long enough to witness the entire battle from start to finish. Naruto put away his kunai, his trust on his teacher absolute. Haku gave his master one last look, tears on his eyes.

Gatou watch with a sadistic smile. Aoi, n the other hand, started feeling a sense of dread he can't explain.

The mercenaries kept getting closer and closer yet neither Kakashi nor Zabuza chose to move an inch. It wasn't until they were in touching distance until the two jounins decide to finally move. And move they did.

Mercenaries started dying by the dozens. Zabuza swung his giant cleaver into the mass of thugs, severing arms and legs in pairs of two or three each time. He cut through flesh, bones, wood, and steel as he carves his way to his now sweating target. Several thugs managed to get in a lucky hit like a spear or knife but Zabuza ignored it and ended their life in a sort of artistic brutality. Blood were flying everywhere, his and his enemies yet he would not fall. He was named the Demon of the Bloody Mist and he was never so aptly named before this very moment.

Kakashi was merciless, weaving through each opponent and slitting their throats and severing limbs at each passing. He's like a surgeon, cutting them with his kunai in just the right amount of force in exactly the right place to get the maximum damage with minimal movements, bleeding his enemies dry before they notice it happening. He used every elements in his arsenal to do wide spread damage to kill several people at once. With nothing else but his will, he forced his dying body to move a step closer to his target, slaughtering anyone in his way. He saw some tried to run while others tried to walk around him to get to his students. Those people found shurikens buried in their heads or burned to a crisp with Katon jutsus.

Gatou is afraid. Two men against his army of thugs, and his army is losing. He tried turning away to run but only ended up getting skewered in the back by Zabuza's large sword. He screamed in agony as the sword started twisting, Zabuza right behind him saying, "Where do you think you're going, you midget? We got an appointment in hell."

Zabuza pulled his sword out and let Gatou fall on the floor halfway dead. The last thing the terrified Gatou ever saw is the grinning Zabuza looking down at him with his large sword poised above his head for one final strike. The demon of the Mist swing down and Gatou is no more.

While this was happening, Aoi activated the Raijin and put himself in a defensive stance. He gulp upon seeing Kakashi, his famous jutsu, the Raikiri flashing in his hand as he literally blasted through three of the last thugs going straight for him.

Aoi blocked the lightning blade with his own, electrical sparks flying as both weapons struggle for dominance. Aoi pushed every bit of chakra he have on the Raijin and smiled when he seems to be winning. With one last push, the Raikiri was overpowered and destroyed, allowing Aoi to skewer Kakashi right through his chest. "You're finished, Kakashi!" The traitor shouted in glee, only for his eyes to widen when the Kakashi in front of him disappeared in a puff of smoke to be replaced by a log, and at the same time, feeling a kunai slash through his neck from the back, where the real Kakashi was standing. The elite ex-ANBU commander pulled out his kunai letting Aoi to drop to the ground dead, the Raijin deactivating and dropping next to him.

The Battle for the Bridge on Wave is now over.

* * *

_~Konoha Council Chambers. Present time~_

"Zabuza died due to severe wounds minutes after killing Gatou Kakashi-sensei managed to hold on long enough for him to use his Sharingan to transfer the medical knowledge needed for Haku to transfer the Sharingan to Sakura."

The entire council was in the edge of their seats, many in awe of the tale of the epic battle foretold by Uchiha Sasuke.

"Where is Kakashi's body now?" The Hokage asked softly.

Naruto took several steps forward and with a solemn look, produced a sealing scroll from his weapon pouch and placed it in front of the Sandaime. "An ex-ninja taught us how to use sealing scrolls and we decided to seal kakashi-sensei's body inside this so we could give him a proper burial here in Konoha."

The Sandaime accepted the scroll containing Kakashi's body with a sad look. Several of the shinobi sympathizes. Konoha had just lost one of its elite jounins and several ninja's lost a good friend. But they were nothing compared to the sadness felt by the Hokage and the members of Team 7.

* * *

A/N: I'm gonna be cutting it right here. Next time on Kiri Warzone, the revelation on the reason why Team Seven will take a detour through Kiri.


	5. Chapter 5

Date Started: April 19, 2010

Summary: Team Seven's first C-rank mission turned A-Rank. But something else went wrong, forcing the survivors of said team to head straight into a war zone.

* * *

KIRI WARZONE

CHAPTER 5

_~Previously~_

_"Where is Kakashi's body now?" The Hokage asked softly._

_Naruto took several steps forward and with a solemn look, produced a sealing scroll from his weapon pouch and placed it in front of the Sandaime. "An ex-ninja taught us how to use sealing scrolls and we decided to seal Kakashi-sensei's body inside this so we could give him a proper burial here in Konoha."_

_The Sandaime accepted the scroll containing Kakashi's body with a sad look. Several of the shinobi sympathizes. Konoha had just lost one of its elite jounins and several ninja's lost a good friend. But they were nothing compared to the sadness felt by the Hokage and the members of Team 7._

* * *

~On with the story~

Hokage Council Chambers. Present:

The Sandaime set the storage scroll in front of him with a heavy heart. He wanted to weep desperately for losing another one of his ninjas, one who he'd known so long. He would too, but not here, not right now. He will weep for Kakashi's passing, but he would do it in the privacy of his own home. For now, he needs to be a pillar of support for the rest of Konoha, particularly Team Seven.

He gave a sad sigh and turn to Team Seven once more. "Hatake Kakashi is an excellent ninja, as well as a cherished comrade. He showed the Will of Fire 'til his dying breath. I assure you, he shall be buried with honor as his station demands."

The sincerity of the Hokage's voice alleviated some of their sadness, if only a little. They gave him a nod of silence acceptance.

Sasuke, seeing nothing more to add about Kakashi's demise for the moment, decided to speak up. "Hokage-sama, I, Uchiha Sasuke, acting-head of the Uchiha Clan, would like to invoke Konoha's Clan Secrecy Preservation Clause."

The Sandaime raised his eyebrow at the young man while the rest of the council, namely the civilians, started to protest. The Clan Secrets Preservation Clause is a law that states that any ninja of Konoha could refuse to divulge information on any clan techniques created by their clan. During critical mission briefings, any ninja is allowed to choose whom else besides the Hokage to be present during said debriefing. Those he/she choose to divulge clan secrets to are honor-bound to keep said clan secrets from anyone not present during the debriefing. Failure to do so would mean swift penalties from monetary compensation to death, depending on the value of the information to be known. That is why, as a rule, only present and former shinobi would be eligible to be present during such debriefing.

The Hokage raised his hand, silencing the rest of the council before speaking, "Very well. Honorable Civilians of the council, thank you for your time but I would like to ask you to vacate the room."

The civilian council seems to be going to protest at first but the Sandaime gave them a look that broke no argument. One by one, the civilian part of the council left the chambers, some grumbling while others giving off a mournful sigh and saying things like, 'just when it's starting to get good.'

Once they have left, the Sandaime turned to the young Uchiha. "You do realize that if I deem the information insufficient to be covered by the Clan Secrecy Clause, the consequences to you personally and to your clan will be severe."

There was an audible snort from Naruto. "Trust me, Hokage-jiji, this particular clan secret is a doozy."

Seeing the confident grin plastered at his honorary grandson, the Sandaime gave Sasuke a look as he ask, "Very well, Sasuke-kun, please state the people you wish to be present during your debriefing."

"No need." Sasuke answered. "Everyone present here right now will suffice."

"May I ask why?" The Third stated, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Because i believe they have the right to know."

The Hokage nodded. "Very well. Please continue with your report."

Sasuke nodded and complied. "With the coercion of Inari, Tazuna's grandson, he gathered the citizens of Wave to fight, but they were too late, and manage to barely witness the end of the battle. We returned to Tazuna's house to recuperate and have Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan eye transplanted to Sakura."

* * *

Tazuna's House. Wave. Past:

It was a somber group of people that are currently occupying Tazuna's living room. Tazuna is sitting in the sofa beside his grandson, holding a half-full bottle of sake. Tsunami is by the stove, staring at the new batch of slowly heating water, desperately trying not to think of what it would be used for. Naruto is standing acroos the hall from the closed bedroom door, his face plastered with a look of worry that hadn't left there since they came back from the battle of the bridge. It's been three hours since Haku started operating on Sakura's eye. Naruto couldn't even manage to stay in the room when Haku started scooping away the damaged eye from its sockets. Sasuke arrived about half an hour after that from the morgue with Kakashi's Sharingan eye in a water-filled jar. He insisted being there helping Haku with the transplant, which said ice user agreed calmly.

"It is done." Was the first thing that Haku said as soon as he and Sasuke came out of Tsunami's bedroom, where Sakura's transplant operation had occurred seeing it has the most windows for better lights.

Naruto almost teleported in from across the hall in front of the exhausted ice user, his face etched in worry. "How is she?" he asked, looking back and forth between the exhausted looking Haku and the queasy looking Sasuke.

"The transplant was a success." Haku said calmly before giving off a sigh. "But whether she would be able to use the Sharingan in battle is yet to be determined. All we need to do now is to wait if her body would accept the new eye."

"It will." Came Sasuke's flat voice.

Naruto, being as tense as he is for the passed few hours, retaliated with the usual response to his so-called rival, namely anger. "And how would you know, teme?"

Sasuke barely managed to stop himself in responding in kind, despite the fact that he really wanted to smack something, and the dobe's face is a really tempting target right about now. But still, he knows more than anyone how much Naruto cares for Sakura's well being, being the sole target of the blonde's crush since the start of the academy. And having said crush mutilated and currently in a coma, said blonde is in need of reassurance as the raven haire Uchiha.

Taking a deep breathe, Sasuke stared at both the scowling Naruto and the curious looking Haku before answering, "Because the transplanted eye had been freely given by its previous owner, namely Kakashi-sensei."

"What does that had to do with Sakura-chan's chances of using that eye?" Naruto asked, still tense.

"Everything." Sasuke said, earning the curiosity of the other two shinobi. At their questioning look, he continued to explain. "Have you ever wondered why with the exception of Kakashi-sensei, there was no other recorded event in which the Sharingan eyes are successfully transplanted to another person not of the Uchiha Clan?"

"I always thought there was some sort of secret procedure during the transplant of the eye to the recipient. But you didn't do anything else besides the obvious during the operation so I don't think that's it." Haku observed.

"That's because there isn't any secret procedures. My clan had kept this secret for a very long time but I don't see how it matters now seeing there are only two Uchiha alive today." The raven-haired Uchiha stated. "There are only two ways a Sharingan could be safely transplanted to a non-Uchiha. The first one is when the previous owner willingly wants to give his eyes to the recipient. And I mean willingly both consciously and subconsciously."

"Damn." Haku exclaimed with awe. When he notices Naruto looking at him questioningly, he elaborated and said, "Consciously, any person could offer a part of their body to another. Subconsciously, it is another matter entirely. People have a subconscious instinct of preserving one's self, including parts of their own body. To overcome such ingrained response of the human psyche, the Uchiha's faith to the receiver must be absolute."

Naruto thought about it for a moment before posing a question. "So, Kakashi-sensei believes in Sakura enough to give her his eyes with no trouble?"

Haku nodded. "In a sense, yes, but not entire true either. Having an absolute faith to subconsciously agree to give up a part of his/her body is said to be impossible. Even if the provider of the Sharingan is but a hair's breath away from death, the percentage of success in overcoming such self-preservation instincts is almost nil."

"Damn." Naruto agreed, finally getting a gist of it.

"Not as impossible as you might think." Sasuke said, earning another curious look from the other two.

Naruto gave him a scowl. "Why don't you just spit it out then?"

Sasuke gave a scowl of his own before finally relenting a clan secret. "When an active Sharingan user dies and his/her eyes gets extracted from the main body, he/she leaves an imprint of his/her soul inside the said Sharingan eyes that destroys it from the inside out."

"An imprint of one's soul into the extracted eyes?" Haku asked, disbelief in his tone.

"Most shinobi are atheists but there is no denying the existence of the human soul namely because the soul's by-product is used throughout the entire Elemental Countries." Sasuke explained.

"Chakra." Naruto stated, not an ounce of doubt in his voice, his mind thinking of another living soul stuck inside of him. Despite it being a soul of a demon, a soul is a soul. Then, he gave his male teammate a snort. "No wonder there aren't any other non-Uchiha Sharingan users rather than Kakashi-senei. Most of your clan's Sharingan users are dicks."

The present Uchiha gave the blonde a glare. "Not all of them."

Naruto responded with a challenging smirk. "Really? Name two that I know then."

"Uchiha Obito."

"That's a given. Obito HAVE to have been awesome to not only willingly offer his eyes to Kakashi-sensei, but to also lasted being Kakashi-sensei's teammate during their genin days."

"Uchiha Mikoto."

" . . . And who is that?" Naruto scoffed unconvincingly.

Instead of telling him it was his mother's name, Sasuke gave the blonde a superior smirk. "As if you don't know. Don't you remember? I was right there during most of your tutoring lessons with mom, Hi-na-mo-ri-chan."

With each syllable of the feminine name, Naruto felt like being stabbed by Zabuza's huge sword, and having in twisted slowly just for additional agonizing fun.

Naruto gave his smug looking teammate his most vicious glare before it turned into a nasty smirk. "You know, other than living Mikoto-baa-san's dream of having a daughter through me, she also entrusted me with a little blue book entitled 'My Boy Sasuke's Naked Baby Potty Training Pictures'."

Sasuke gasped. "You're bluffing. I destroyed each and every single one of those." Said boy shuddered at the thought of an existing copy of such book, particularly in the hands of his self-proclaimed rival.

It was Naruto's turn to be smug. "Am I? I'm particularly fond of entry number six with a small caption on the bottom saying: 'No, honey, that is not a cake'."

Sasuke gritted his teeth at that, wondering where he could hide the body once he killed him. "I got two words for you . . . Orange Tutu."

Naruto's eyes almost bugged out of their sockets at those two words, his entire body shuddered. He opened his mouth to retort but no sound came out. He snap his mouth shut before opening them again, only to fell silent once more.

After several seconds of silence, Naruto took one deep breath and said in a calm, steady voice, "We will never, under any circumstances except for the imminent end of the world, use blackmail as ammunition in our battles against each other. Agreed?"

Sasuke eyed the other boy for a moment, both of them ignoring Haku who seems to be having a sudden coughing fit, before giving a reluctant nod in affirmative. "Agreed."

"That's good. So although having at least two clan members that aren't dicks, you can't really argue with the fact that the rest of your clan, particularly the active-Sharingan users, are arrogant bastards."

"The Uchiha Clan is a prideful bunch, which, I will agree, borders in arrogance, and we became that way on purpose. We are thought, since the day we could walk, to take pride in our heritage, that we are strong as long as we are part of the clan. To tell ourselves otherwise is considered taboo. We were once considered as the most powerful Clan in Konoha because, unlike the Hyuuga's, we didn't need the Bird Cage Seal to prevent Bloodline Theft from enemy shinobi. Our Clan's pride ensures Bloodline theft from others not part of the clan is impossible unless the recipient themselves could be trusted whole-heartedly by the Sharingan donor."

* * *

~Konoha Council Chambers. Present time.~

"So let me get this straight." Yamanaka Inoichi stated after several seconds of contemplation. "Your ancestors deliberately taught all their children to be pride-fully arrogant, forcing your subconscious mind to have certain paranoia about trusting others, just so no one else could steal their Sharingan?"

Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Nara Shikaku, who hadn't been particularly fond of the Uchiha Clan during their height in power, shook his head and said, "That . . . explains so much."

"What does it mean for the recipient if the eyes are given willingly?" The Aburame Clan head asked.

"Then the Sharingan eyes would mold itself to suite the receiver's body in very subtle ways until the body thinks that the eye had always been part of said body. "

"But how does that affect Sakura-san considering Kakashi-san to be the second user of his Sharingan eye?" Inuzuka Tsume asked suddenly.

"That . . . is where the second condition to safely transplant the Sharingan eyes comes in." Sasuke said. "The eyes had to be taken forcefully by another Uchiha, using his/her own Sharingan to subdue the soul on his victim's Sharingan eyes."

"Do you have any proof of this?" Homura asked.

Sasuke fell silent for a moment, closing his eyes, before turning his head towards Danzo. When he opened them again, his Sharingan eyes were spinning in full force. "Yes."

For a moment there was silence. Then, Sasuke grunted in pain, falling on his knees and his good hand covering his bleeding left eye. Karin and Yuzu were at his side in an instant, worry evident on their faces. Naruto and Sakura stood close by his side, acting like silent sentinels against any attack that may come for the incapacitated Sasuke.

Danzo, meanwhile, suddenly stood up from his seat, his face enrage at the bleeding young man. "What have you done, boy?"

Everybody else seems to tense at the by-play between Sasuke and Danzo. It wasn't everyday they see the old war hawk loose his composure like that.

"Sasuke, explain yourself." The Hokage ordered. He felt the sudden rise of chakra from Sasuke before things degenerated into this so he knew it was the young boy that initiated the attack of some kind. "And Danzo, sit down before I have ANBU do it for you."

Danzo glared at the Hokage but did as was told. Still, the old war hawk seems shaken still.

It took a couple of minutes before Sasuke was well enough to stand on his own. With a bloody handkerchief pressed against his bleeding eye to halt the flow for the moment, he turned to the Hokage and said, "Forgive me, Hokage-sama. I was merely setting up the proof you needed."

"And how is it that your so called proof necessitate the need to attack a member of this council." There was no warmth in the Hokage's voice anymore.

"By ensuring Danzo's stolen Sharingan eyes will never be used against any loyal shinobi of Konoha."

There was a sudden rise of tension in the air at the proclamation. Everyone turned to look at the seething Danzo whose glaring at the smirking Uchiha.

The Sandaime turned to Hiashi and gave the man a nod. Nodding back, Hiashi activated his Byakugan. "It's true, Hokage-sama. Danzo does indeed have the Sharingan implanted on his eye."

The rest of the shinobi council went into n uproar. Bloodline theft, from within their own village, is considered sacrilege of the highest order, particularly among the other bloodline carrying clans.

The Sandaime raised his hand ordering for silence, which the rest of the shinobi council reluctantly obeyed. He then glared at the old warhawk and ordered, "Danzo, explain yourself."

Danzo seethed and was about to lie his ass off when pain suddenly flared from his sharingan eye. He gave out a shout of pain before the pain disappeared.

"Sasuke!" The Sandaime barked angrily, thinking the young man was attacking again.

"It wasn't me, sir." Said young man answered immediately, not wanting to have the Hokage's ire directed at him.

"Then explain what's happening to him."

"He is being reprimanded, sir."

"By whom?"

"By the spirit of the owner of the stolen Sharingan eye, namely Uchiha Shisui."

* * *

A/N: Going to stop here since the explenation on the last scene would be too long. There aint much action here but the next chapter would.

See you next time:-P


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